by Ryan Foley

Created on: November 06, 2008

Yesterday you worked on lower-body and today you are going to focus solely on cardio and maybe do some weight training and a few reps to build the upper-body. Is focusing on certain body parts at a time the correct way to stay fit and weight train? Absolutely! Is it the most efficient? Certainly not! Therefore, how are you supposed to go about fitness in the most efficient way possible that will include an entire body workout? Just follow these steps:

It all begins with a warm-up and stretching. The warm-up is key because it allows the blood to flow and the "juices get moving" so to speak. Many forget about stretching but this is ESSENTIAL if above anything else, to avoid injury. How do we warm up? You are probably thinking what a stupid question that is, of course it's a cardio workout. In fact, cardio workouts are awesome at burning fat, but they also decrease muscle mass and at the same time lower metabolism. Your key in fitness training, is to increase lean muscle mass which could in turn keep your energy flowing for up to 72 hours afterward!

It's actually an Okinawan tradition to start your workout from the feet and go to the head. Their mentality is beginning with the furthest point from the heart, to continually warm-up in a healthy manner. That said, what I like to do is actually use a stability bar. Remember the key term we are talking about here is "fitness". This does not neccessarily mean bulking up in every area one at a time but rather, using muscle integration to work on your weaker muscles allowing the dominant muscles to become more proportionate. Using a stability bar, you can actually stretch out muscles that are less worked in our daily routines simply by using your own body weight and thusly, becoming more fit.

How does that help me become more bulk? Actually, becoming more bulk will isolate muscles and can result in more injury. The muscle imbalance actually disturbs your body's equilibrium and in some cases, develops injuries simply by walking. You constantly see guys at trade shows or even in malls attempting to sell you a product. At one point, I gave a guy such as this some satisfaction by acting as a guinea pig for his "experiment". I stepped on a scale and was amazed at what I saw. My right side weighed eighty more pounds than my left! That is when I seriously started researching whole body fitness training.

By utilizing these techniques, not only are you becoming more fit, but actually living a more healthy lifestyle. Coupled with this and your diet, and I would suggest beets, rutabaga, and Cinnamon as three key ingredients which, according to Men's Health are very nutritious, and you will be on your way to a promising fit life.

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